Humboldt Bay - 8/28/20

Father-son trip on Humboldt Bay today.

I've known Jeff for years, and our number one interaction has been giving each other shit.  He's 4 months younger than me - what a little punk!  Jeff's over from Redding and his older son, Jarrod, has been working in Eureka, so the three of us headed out so I could introduce them to the local Cali scene. 

We met up behind the Vista Del Mar at the foot of Commercial and got on the water by a bit after 8AM.  I showed the guys how I run the gear, got everybody hooked up and we started our drift and troll program headed up the middle channel.  It wasn't long before Jeff was hooked up.  I cleared my line and got up on him as he brought a stout hali up to the top.  I didn't even reach for the net, as you want these guys to expend at least a bit of energy before trying to capture them - they're way too good at flying out of, under, past or even over the net.  It takes a little run and he brings it back up, and we can see that it's a really nice fish - maybe 34-35 inches and 15 pounds.  It's up top, and it's basically just hanging out just below the surface, so I get the net moving, dip, reach (big mistake), and it peels out like a door mat sized Corvette, spits the hooks and bails.

I was forced to start giving myself shit immediately, because I knew I wouldn't live this down with Jeff unless and until we caught and bagged a fish!  For the next two to three hours we enjoyed wonderful weather but not many bites as the tide and breeze carried us up bay and back, and every time Jeff would bring up how I'd obviously purposely knocked his fish in the head with my net, I was forced to berate myself as the only acceptable response.

The Guide had failed - a total hack!  We were enjoying the banter, and Jarrod probably thinks we're total nerds - we are.  Eventually another fish stuck to our hooks, and soon we had a much more modest unit under the burlap.  It was a relief, but we wanted more than just a family dinner out of this gig.  We fished hard heading back up the channel, and by the time we were ready to wrap it we had a couple more thirty to thirty-two inchers on the clips.

None of the fish that we retained were as big as the one we lost to start our day, and in a way that's one of the coolest things about fishing - there's always more to shoot for.  Jeff got his money's worth of giving me shit for the day - as did I with him - and it was nice to spend time with the 19 year old that I've known since he was a little squirt.  Taking friends out, giving each other shit and seeing that the kid has grown up to be a fine young man is about as much as I can ask for when it comes to work that's as fulfilling as it is pleasing, and I'm not shitting you about that.

Thanks, Jeff and Jarrod for a really fun day on the bay where the old men could yank each other's chains and catch fish too, and hopefully the kid ends up appreciating that for the well earned life status that it is.

Old Guys Rule.

 

Great report! I once had a smallmouth bass on a crankbait and tried to land it by picking it up by the lure. It buried the top treble in the meat of the palm of my hand and started to head shake like crazy. I could not paddle with a fish connected to my hand this way so I was forced to rip it out. Never gonna do that again.

Nice to see you got the Riggs boys out and on some fish. I look forward to hearing the story from Jeff’s perspective! 

As always, Eric, an enjoyable read and great images.

How much longer is the Halibut  fishing good in the bay?

Thanks for the kindness.

How much longer is the Halibut  fishing good in the bay?

Will change with the seasons.

I cannot thank Eric enough for putting up with me for a day and letting Jarrod tag along. It gets more difficult to try and put some type of father and son trip together as you see your kids get older, so I was happy that this worked out that we could get together.
It was a beautiful day on Humboldt Bay with a nice slow breeze that pushed us along without having to dip our oars in the water much, with the exception of getting some grass off the lines.
When I hooked up, I thought I was snagged at first, but then that drug of the tug took over and I knew it was on. Eric was at my side in short order and when the fish first revealed itself, we both knew it was a good one. I then saw the look of jealousy in Eric’s eyes and I knew I should take over the netting duties, but I had left the big net at home and this slab would not fit in the small net I had on the yak; trust me I was kicking myself in the ass the rest of the day for leaving the big net at home.
When the fish finally presented itself to go into the net, I drug it towards Eric and then with a big smile on his face, he tomahawk chopped down on the mouth of the fish and giggled with joy as the fish let the hook go and returned to the bottom of the bay.
At least that is the story I am sticking with 😊
It was a great day and if you have not experienced a total chill laid back trip on the bay talking with an old friend and just enjoying being on the water, then I urge you to get out there and let Eric show you how it’s done.
I do believe the hook set into Eric’s hand was the fish gods paying him back for beating my hook up over the head with a net in an effort to free it back into the ocean.

I was not giggling with joy!

That was belly laughter with villainy.   

Good Times, man.   

Great job Eric. I've been living thru your reports. Serious lack of fishing in my life right now

Great job Eric. I've been living thru your reports. Serious lack of fishing in my life right now

I wondered why I hadn't heard from you. I caught one this morning but it's been spotty.

Eric, I always enjoy your reports. You started me out on the right track at Trinidad and I'll always remember that.

Good stuff!!

Thanks for filling us in on the other side of the story, Jeff!